Personally, I thought this bill would be squashed outright, so I'm really glad the GOP decided to do this turn about. No doubt, the GOP want to bring it up for a vote only to kill it out right. The Democratic leadership would no doubt like to kill it quietly, or blame the Republicans for killing it.
The Democratic leadership wants us angry enough to vote for more Democrats which they figure they can get taking the safe route by leaving Bush and Cheney in office. But the Democrats don't want us so angry that we're as disgusted with them as we are with the GOP. It's easy enough to see why they'd back away from impeachment. Impeaching, well, that's risky, and why rock the boat when you expect to recieve a electoral windfall. The Democratic leadership prefers the status quo. The more corrupt the administration, the better.
Personally, I am disgusted with the Democrats. They lack conviction. The GOP is wrong on many issues, but at least they have conviction. You see Mitt Romney up there yelling about opening more Guantanamos. He's totally wrong, but at least he's passionate. Nancy Pelosi, however, can't even bear to murmur the 'I' word except to say that it is off the table. Since when did constitutional duties become personal perogatives?
What's interesting here is that the GOP is forcing the Democrats' hands, by saying, "let's discuss impeachment then." Are the Democrats going to allow themselves to be humiliated by the GOP minority by having this bill die a gruesome death? The GOP will vote to kill it and mock the Democrats for even attempting it. You can imagine the rhetoric, "In a time of war, the Democrats wasted our time trying to get us back for Clinton. Shameful!" Are the Democrats prepared to have their 'no' votes on impeachment recorded and used against them with their own constitutients?
As I watch this play out, and my party makes these shamefuls attempts to cover their ass I realize that I hate the Democrats more than I hate the Republicans. I was never betrayed by the Republicans. They have a crazy set of homophobic, reactionary, and conservative values that I never subscribed to. The Democrats were supposed to represent and uphold my values among them some accountability. They fail time after time to uphold these values crying, "I need more power. Just wait until the next election. We can't do anything." Bah! Power is for those who deserve it, those who use it wisely. What have you done for me? You got control of the Senate and control of the House last election. That's not enough? You can't reign in an out of control executive branch that has broken the law, admitted to violating the constitution. The law is on your side. The people are on your side. The constitution is on its side gutted with a remedy in its hands. The remedy is impeachment, and with both the House and the Senate you can't deliver it. What good are you, Democrats?